The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall

Travel back to the earliest days of Pernese history in this first-ever Dragonriders of Pern short story collection. Building a new life on a distant world, braving the dreaded Thread that falls like silver rain from the sky only to destroy every living thing it touches, flying heroically on the wondrous dragons - The Dragonriders of Pern!

The Dolphins of Pern: Dragonriders of Pern

When the first humans came to settle the planet Pern, they did not come alone: intelligence-enhanced dolphins also crossed the stars to colonize Pern's oceans while their human partners settled the vast continents. But then disaster struck. The deadly silver spores called Thread fell like rain from the sky, and as human colonists' dreams of a new, idyllic life shattered into a desperate struggle for survival, the dolphins were forgotten.

Dragon Harper: Dragonriders of Pern

Life in the Harper Hall is busy for best friends Kindan, Nonala, and Kelsa. As the only female apprentices, Nonala and Kelsa are the butt of jokes and easy targets for the bully Vaxoram and his cronies. But when Kindan springs to Kelsa's defense, he winds up in a fight for his life against the older, bigger Vaxoram - a fight that will lead to a surprising friendship. Then fate intervenes in the form of a virulent plague as fast-spreading as it is deadly.

Sky Dragons: Dragonriders of Pern

Leadership of these dragons and riders falls to Xhinna, female rider of a blue dragon, who must earn the respect of all who follow her and solve the problem of how to get sufficient numbers of dragon eggs, all while protecting her people and baby dragons from the predators, and worse, traitors!

Dragon's Fire: Dragonriders of Pern

Pellar is an orphan taken in by Masterharper Zist. Though born mute, Pellar is a gifted tracker, and when Zist sets off to take over as harper for Natalon's coal-mining camp, Pellar - along with his fire-lizard, Chitter - joins him on a secret mission of his own: to find out if reported thefts of coal are the work of the Shunned, criminals condemned to a life of wandering and hardship.

Dragon's Time: A Dragonriders of Pern Novel

For the first time in more than three years, best-selling authors Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey have teamed up again to do what they do best: add another chapter to the Dragonriders of Pern. Even though Lorana cured the plague that was killing the dragons of Pern, sacrificing her queen dragon in the process, the effects of the disease were so devastating that there are no longer enough dragons available to fight the fall of deadly Thread. And as the situation grows more dire, a pregnant Lorana decides that she must take drastic steps in the quest for help.

Belgarath the Sorcerer

Best-selling authors David and Leigh Eddings welcome fans back to the time before The Belgariad and The Malloreon series. Join them as they chronicle that fateful conflict between two mortally opposed Destinies, in a monumental war of men and kings and gods.

The Gender Game

A toxic river divides nineteen-year-old Violet Bates's world by gender. Women rule the East. Men rule the West. Welcome to the lands of Matrus and Patrus. Ever since the disappearance of her beloved younger brother, Violet's life has been consumed by an anger she struggles to control. Already a prisoner to her own nation, now she has been sentenced to death for her crimes. But one decision could save her life. To enter the kingdom of Patrus, where men rule and women submit. Everything about the patriarchy is dangerous for a rebellious girl like Violet.

The Diamond Throne: The Elenium, Book 1

Sparhawk, the Pandion Knight and Queen's Champion, returns from a long spell of exile to find his native land overrun with evil and intrigue, and his young Queen grievously ill. Indeed, Ehlana lies magically entombed within a block of crystal, doomed to die unless a cure can be found within a year.

Dragon Blood - Omnibus

A thousand years have passed since a dragon has been seen in the world. Science and technology have replaced magic, which has dwindled until it has become little more than an element of myth and legend. There are those who still have dragon blood flowing through their veins, distant descendants of the mighty creatures of old. These rare humans have the power to cast magic, the power to heal, and the power to craft alchemical weapons capable of starting wars...or ending them.

Jimmy and the Crawler: Riftwar Legacy, Book 4

The Crawler: a name whispered in fear... In the crime-ridden back alleys of Krondor, a rival gang has sprung up to threaten the Upright Man's Mockers. Does the Crawler control the rival gang? Where does his power come from? And does it threaten the peace of the Kingdom? James, personal squire to Prince Arutha of Krondor, but in the underworld known as the thief and trickster Jimmy the Hand, must travel to Kesh in disguise.

Daughter of the Empire

Enter the mysterious and exotic world of Kelewan.... Mara, the youngest child of the ancient and noble Acoma family, is about to take her pledge of servitude to the goddess Lashima when the ceremony is disrupted by news of her father and brother's deaths in battle. Despite her grief, as the only surviving member of her house, Mara must now take up the mantles of Ruling Lady. But she soon discovers betrayal at the heart of her family's loss, and the Acoma's enemies have brought her house to the brink of utter destruction.

Legend: Drenai, Book 1

Druss, Captain of the Axe: the stories of his life were told everywhere. Instead of the wealth and fame he could have claimed, he had chosen a mountain lair, high in the lonely country bordering on the clouds. There the grizzled old warrior kept company with snow leopards and awaited his old enemy, death.

Sassinak: The Planet Pirates, Book 1

Sassinak was 12 when the raiders came. That made her just the right age: old enough to be used, young enough to be broken. Or so the slavers thought. But Sassy turned out to be a little different from your typical slave girl. Maybe it was her unusual physical strength. Maybe it was her friendship with the captured Fleet crewman. Maybe it was her spirit. Whatever it was, it wouldn't let her resign herself to the life of a slave. She bided her time, watched for her moment. Finally it came, and she escaped.

Fledgling: The Dragonrider Chronicles, Book 1

Can one boy stand between two kingdoms at war? Jaevid Broadfeather has grown up as a wartime refugee, hiding from the world because of his mixed racial heritage. He feels his future is hopeless - until a chance encounter with a wild dragon lands him in Blybrig Academy, a place usually forbidden to anyone but the rich and royal. But Jaevid's case is special; no dragon has voluntarily chosen a rider in decades, so the proud riders of Blybrig must begrudgingly let him join their brotherhood despite his bloodline.

Magician

Here starts an adventure that will span lifetimes and worlds. Discover where the story begins. Raymond E. Feist is an internationally best-selling author. My name is Pug. I was once an orphaned kitchen boy, with no family and no prospects, but I am destined to become a master magician...War is coming to the Kingdom of the Isles from another world, bringing with it chaos and destruction.

Publisher's Summary

Journey to the wonder-filled world of Pern in the first volume of Anne McCaffrey's best-selling Harper Hall Trilogy. Dragonsong is the spellbinding tale of Menolly of Half Circle Hold, a brave young girl who flees her seaside village and discovers the legendary fire lizards of Pern.

All her life, Menolly has longed to learn the ancient secrets of the Harpers, the master musicians of Harper Hall. When her stern father denies her the chance to make her dream come true, Menolly runs away from home. Hiding in a cave by the sea, she finds nine magical fire lizards who join her on a breathtaking journey to Harper Hall.

Anne McCaffrey's enchanting tales of Pern, with all their colorful dragons and fantastic characters, have won her millions of fans around the world. The winner of the Hugo and Nebula Award, she is one of the best-loved writers in all of fantasy literature.

What the Critics Say

"McCaffrey uses great imaginative powers in constructing her intricate and intriguing story." (Booklist)"Menolly's independent, resolute character, the fascinating dragon lore, and a certain poetic quality of style all combine to create an original fantasy...akin to the work of Ursula LeGuin." (Horn Book)

I love Anne McCaffrey's Pern books and was delighted to find them on Audible.

Until I heard the readers voice, the heavy American accent and strangulated vowels spoilt it for me. I found that her voices for the male and female characters were the same and could not at times pick up who was supposed to speaking. A great shame, I will not be purchasing the other Pern titles.

Dragonsong is the first in a trilogy set around the Harper hall written by Anne McCaffrey. The first time I read this book it totally enthralled me occaisionally bringing a tear to my eyes. A must read as are the other two (Dragonsinger and Dragondrums). I only wish that the Masterharper of Pern, Dragonquest, Dragonflight and the White Dragon were also available in audio. I would definately purchase them.

had read this and all the other Dragon books from the late 70's onward and enjoyed all of them. I was looking forward to hearing Dragonsong read. I was not disappointed. The reader was very good, and did real justice to the emotional content of the writing. I shed a few tears. The story is self contained and can be read stand alone. If you haven't read any of the other books I think you could start in her, and then jump to the beginning without losing anything or continue with the other two in this short series. Im looking forward to singer & dragondrums.

Living in the UK , the pronunciation of names of characters in my head were of course different from the American pronunciation in this American book ..however Sally Darling does the Anne Mc Caffrey proud ..I loved listening to this favourite tale this week - Enjoy !

"Dragonsong" and it's sequel "Dragonsinger" are my favorite Pern books and I have faithfully devoured every Pern novel, novella and short story published. I was so excited when I found these in audiobook format and revisiting my 'old friends' was simply wonderful. The only reason I did not give this selection five of five stars was that the narration was merely 'ok'. Several of the pronunciations of names and places, as well as the odd sentence or two, were awkward and pulled the listener out of the flow of the story. Nothing too bad, but noticeable all the same.

21 of 21 people found this review helpful

Lori Miller

06/07/09

Overall

"Warning: author's works are completely addictive!"

This was the first Pern book I had ever read. I was overjoyed to find the audio to this & other Anne McCaffery works. Now if only there were such a thing as real Fire Lizards to impress!

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Trisandra Lunanova

Massachusetts

22/07/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Grandma tells a story"

What did you like best about Dragonsong: Harper Hall Trilogy, Volume 1? What did you like least?

I love this story and have read it dozens of times, so when I saw the audio book I thought why not. Well the story is still great, if you can stay awake for it. This is certainly not the book to listen to in the morning during traffic, you'll fall asleep and crash. The narrator is so SLOW and languid in her tone of voice. It is like listening to an old grandma tell a story with the intention of putting you asleep. It such a disappointment since the story is so vibrate and full of life. A better narrator would make this a wonderful tale. But as it was only my love of the story from when I was a little girl, that got me through the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Menolly is of course my favorite. She is strong and spirited and full of life. She struggles with things that anyone can related to. And reading it as a somewhat rebellious teen years ago, she was my ideal.

How could the performance have been better?

This really needs to be done with another narrator. The poems in the beginning of each chapter are read without life. The sentences are read so slowly as to be painful. If you have never read the book I can imagine loosing interest before the end of the first chapter simply because of the narrative style.

I think this needs to be re-recorded and it would be magnificent. It is such a super story. It just needs a more lively narration.

Any additional comments?

Please please re-do this as a brilliance audio. I would even pay for it again so long as there is a new narrator.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Thea & Eric

Seattle

30/10/11

Overall

Performance

Story

"Love the book, dislike the narrator"

Why oh why did they find such an awful narrator for my favorite series by Anne McCaffery? The Harper Hall trilogy has been my favorite since I was a teen. I waited for so long to hear it in audio, and was really disappointed.

The reader is plodding, too old for the characters and is not good at changing her voice to suit characters. She makes a wonderful series boring.

My only hope is that somehow, someday, due to Anne McCaffery's popularity will cause all of her books to get new narrators. They deserve them.

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

Loy

Benbrook, TX, United States

06/10/09

Overall

"wonderful book"

I read this book years ago and enjoyed it so much
Now I listened to it -- it was just as great the second time. the wonderful world Pern is visited
-- great story

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Henry

EUGENE, OREGON, United States

13/04/10

Overall

"It is a good story and a quick listen."

This is a wonderful book! It unfolds in a fast paced, but natural style. While you have to believe in dragons to make this book work, Anne doesn't force you through a series of too convenient coincidences. She has plotted a story that just unfolds and sweeps you along with it. While Menolly has her share of misfortunes and struggles, nothing is too dark, and it comes to a happy ending. It is a good story and a quick listen.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Amy

Cambridge, MA, United States

07/02/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Lots of fun"

This is a prime example of a type of science fiction that I loved as a young adult. It's technically science fiction, but is for all practical purposes fantasy. While ostensibly about people on a faraway planet far in the future, it has much to say about Western culture and norms at the time it was written. The main character is a girl living in a sexist, pre-industrial society with a fairly rigid social system. She has great musical talent, but on Pern, women do not become harpers, the musicians who, while providing entertainment, are also responsible for transmitting the history and culture of their people. The heroine must overcome the prejudices of her family, as well as her own fear of failure, in order to do what she was born to do--make music.

Happily, the concept of girls not being free to follow their hearts' callings feels dated and rather silly. Fortunately, the Harper Hall trilogy is good enough to overcome this. I'm lucky to have been raised on stories such as this, so that by the time I became an adult, my sense of opportunity seemed limitless. Many girls are not as fortunate as I have been, and I hope that stories such as this help to ease their roads and broaden their dreams.

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

VinoFonseca

Manlius, NY United States

11/06/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great story. Disruptive narration"

I love this story. Have always been a Pern fan. But I agree with some of the other reviewers. The narration could be a lot better. Sounds old and Menolly is 15. Sometimes i thought the narrator had a southern twang. Distracts from the story. Doesn't enhance. In the other hand, not bad enough to prevent me from purchasing the next book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Karen

Beaufort, NC, United States

02/01/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"An enjoyable listen. Just what I was looking for."

I have been an Anne McCaffrey fan for many years and have read and re-read her books, including the Harper Hall trilogy, many times. I purchased this as a way to read an old friend while driving on a long trip. I wasn't disappointed, the story is well read and brings the characters to life.

My one caveat is the pronounciation of some of the characters names. Although the names may be being pronounced exactly as the author intended, they differ so much from how I had always said them that I find myself going "who?" when each character is mentioned for the first time. This distraction is the only drawback.

If this is your first time reading this book, this will not be a problem for you.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

David Metzener

Manchester, MO USA

22/10/11

Overall

Performance

Story

"Excellent story with a fine performance to match"

What made the experience of listening to Dragonsong: Harper Hall Trilogy, Volume 1 the most enjoyable?

Sally Darling does a fine job of

What did you like best about this story?

Well, I'm pretty biased when it comes to Anne McCaffrey and the Dragonriders series. I pretty much feel that Ms. McCaffrey can't do wrong.<br/><br/>Still, it is great to get a perspective of life on Pern from a different direction other than the Weyr. Getting perspective from first a Hold, then being Holdless, you get a feel as to why the Holds were established and how important it is to be sheltered durning a fall.<br/><br/>Being a Lord Holder has many responsibilities, and making sure the Weyr's only have to worry about fighting Thread and keeping their dragons healthy is pretty much the biggest during a Fall.

Which character ??? as performed by Sally Darling ??? was your favorite?

Actually, Piemur was pretty much my favorite character throughout the entire Harperhall Trilogy. I know this story is about Menolly first, I just like Piemur's attitude and demeanor.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's hard to listen to any

Any additional comments?

When I first started listening to the Harperhall Trilogy, I was concerned about Sally Darling. I had just finished the main Dragonriders Trilogy (Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon) performed by Dick Hill, so I was used to his voice reading the stories.<br/><br/>However, a woman reading the Harperhall Trilogy makes sense since most of the stories are about Menolly and are more a female perspective.<br/><br/>Anyway, Sally did an excellent job of portraying Menolly and other characters in the story and brought them to life just as well as Dick Hill did with the main trilogy.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

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